Nigeria is banking on artificial intelligence (AI) to power President Bola Tinubu’s ambition of transforming Africa’s most populous nation into a $1 trillion economy by 2030, according to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani.

Tijani’s remarks follow his inclusion in TIME magazine’s 2025 list of the 100 most influential personalities in AI, alongside global tech leaders such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk and OpenAI chief Sam Altman. He was recognised for shaping the future of the technology on the global stage.

Highlighting Nigeria’s progress, the minister pointed to the launch of a national AI strategy, research programmes, and partnerships with international technology firms.

“We got over 120 experts of Nigerian descent to co-create the long-term strategy for the responsible use and development of AI,” Tijani said in a LinkedIn post. “This recognition further validates our belief that Nigeria can stand as a global leader in the responsible and inclusive deployment of AI for increased productivity.”

The framework for Nigeria’s $1trn economic target was officially endorsed by the National Economic Council last week. From a technology perspective, the government has been piloting AI applications across healthcare, agriculture, education, and financial inclusion—areas expected to deliver both social and economic impact.

With backing from partners such as Google and the Gates Foundation, the government is also supporting local innovators by helping scale homegrown AI solutions through mentorship, funding, and resources.

To institutionalise this momentum, Tijani announced two new initiatives: the AI Collective, a community of researchers and practitioners supported by philanthropic group Luminate, and the AI Trust, a body of national leaders tasked with steering long-term investments in the sector.

“Our commitment remains clear: to ensure AI not only drives innovation but also contributes to building a $1trn economy as envisioned by President Tinubu,” Tijani added.

Although Nigeria faces infrastructure challenges, the government is banking on its growing pool of technical talent to build a strong AI ecosystem. The flagship 3 Million Technical Talent programme continues to train Nigerians in digital and AI skills, many of whom are being deployed to digitise public services and build critical datasets for AI systems.